TODAY: LITTLE ISLAND BREWING CO.

27th July 2015

If you’ve been a reader of this space for a while, you’ll know I’m a fan of Sundays. There’s something magical, light and easy about a Sunday that’s unlike its sister, Saturday. The latter brings pressurizing notions of Why Don’t I Have Plans or Why Don’t I Have Friends or Where Is My Social Life. But on Sundays, anything goes. There’s no obligation to make plans, and I Gotta Work Tomorrow So I’m Gonna Just Chill Out Today makes it excusable to get out of any unfavorable social, human encounters.

That said, I spent this Sunday with two friends at the newly opened Little Island Brewing Co. on Changi Road. I’m a fan of beer breweries because I enjoy processes (in general) and I love the taste of a fresh pint. Although – we didn’t have any alcohol. It was 10 in the morning.

I have a strict 11am rule.

For a microbrewery without obvious indications of a kitchen, the food fared pretty well. We shared two mains, both served up in sizable portions, the Islander Big Breakfast ($25) and the Breakfast Burrito with Smoked Brisket ($15.50) and I was thrilled by the latter. Juicy, succulent beef rarely disappoints me and this was no exception. Resident Chef John Edwards is doing some excellent work.

Communal dining tables and the quiet hum of the cooler offer a rustic slow-living laziness – not to be confused for Lazy’s regular, bum-on-the-couch all day cousin. The facade also bears an abandoned warehouse character on the outside and accommodates outdoor seating, and seeing that sits quietly beneath the slope of Changi Village Food Centre, this seclusion was perhaps owner Francis Khoo’s intention.

Hanging out in the Little Island Brewing Co. feels like lounging at home thanks to its self-service system – beer on tap included, and the beverage menu overhead suggests there’s certainly something for everyone’s beer and cider preference. I spy with my little eye: pale, golden, stout and wheat beer. Starting from as little as $6 per 400ml, I’m skeptical on how this self-serve system will personally play out in the event that I’ve kicked back a pint too many…

Of course, if, like my little-t0-zero alcohol tolerance friends, you prefer a lighter and fruity alternative, there are many bottled cider choices to fuss over. Admittedly, most of the labels are largely foreign and new to me but they’re affordable and intriguing enough for my next visit back here.